Comparative summaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparative summaries - Essay Example For developed economies, governments offer subsidies in the form of drugs and other equipments that aid in provision of medical services. Health care financial management Health care financial management entails the use of different financial strategies in managing the financial resources of a healthcare facility. According to Goldsmith, (2011), organizations choose financial management stratagems based on the mission and the objective of the organizations. For non-profit organization, careful management of financial resources is essential for accounting purposes. Hence, the reason healthcare institutions use flexible budget. In budgeting, financial management aids organization in forecasting on its mission. Profit organizations increase profitability when forecasting for healthcare service. Amerigroup is an American corporation that offers medical services to individuals who receive healthcare benefits as funded by the public. The entity is a profit organization that sources for its funding from benefits from Medicaid and children programs. According to Dunham-Taylor & Pinczuk (2004), the corporation engages in duties such as providing in-patient care services, disease management services, homes visits and consultation services. Additionally, the organization offers clients insurance covers. According to records from the US department of health, the corporation serves clients in different parts of the United States. In 2011, 2 million people in Louisiana benefited from the services of the company. During the campaigns, the company sensitized the public on the benefits of taking medical covers. Amerigroup operates by sourcing funds from sales of its services. Consequently, professionals based in United States manage the finances of the company. They plan, coordinate and mobilize resources with the objective of providing services to the public through healthcare schemes. Today, Amerigroup operates hospitals in the United States, with a majority of the institutio ns being private institutions. According to Goldsmith, (2011), Amerigroup is a profit organization owned by stockholders from different parts of the United States. The stockholders make decision on behalf of the company when it comes to planning and restructuring financial obligations at the company. When it comes to profits profit sharing, Amerigroup shares its earnings with stockholders who pay taxes at the facility. Policies unique to each financial environment Policies for organizations that aim at making profits usually differ from policies of non-profit organizations. Analysis of non-profit organizations indicates that the administration is exempted from taxations and other charges that increase cost of operations. On the contrary, profit-making organizations are taxed highly hence, the high cost of healthcare in profit making facilities. Furthermore, the financial structure of private organizations differs with structure of the government (Dunham-Taylor & Pinczuk, 2004). Heal thcare financial environment is characterized by the activities of profit, non-profit and governmental organizations. However, private organizations are the leaders when it comes to issuing insurance packages, planning and meeting the needs of clients. In a profit environment, the management uses policies that promote the interest of the company.

LOVE. - Forecasting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LOVE. - Forecasting - Essay Example The most significant result of bad forecast is immense damage in the supply chain management system. If a company’s forecast is higher compared to the expected demand then it has to bear additional costs due to high level of inventory, useless products, and extra inventory carrying costs. Similarly, if the forecast of a company is lower than expected, it can make customers switch to the other companies. As a result, the company can face loss of competitive advantage in the market (Firestone, â€Å"How to Thrive with Inaccurate Forecasts†). In reality, forecasts cannot be 100% accurate; however, it should be able to provide an approximate picture about the future demand or trend in the market. Forecasting incorrectness imposes substantial effect on the demand planning of an organization. For instance, in service organizations, a bad forecast can possibly result in unnecessary workforce and redundant expenses, or insufficient workforce which can negatively impact on customers’ requests. Every organization, irrespective of size, maintains a buffer level which is preserved according to the demand, and bad forecasting can result in keeping a wasteful buffer level which is uneconomical for the organization (Voudouris, C. & Et. Al., â€Å"Service Chain Management: Technology Innovation for the Service Business†). There are several types of forecasts used by organizations for business, such as sales forecasts, financial forecasts, demand forecasts, supply forecasts, and economic forecasts among others. The most useful among them is the demand forecast. The reason is that numerous operations depend on accurateness of demand of any product or service, and through demand forecast, business organizations can prepare themselves accordingly. The demand forecast can determine the quantities which need to be purchased or made available in the organization’s stock or buffer in order to provide rapid service. In present day’s competitive environment, business

System Analysis and Design of an Equipment Tracking Database Essay Example for Free

System Analysis and Design of an Equipment Tracking Database Essay BG Group has been active in the energy sector in Trinidad Tobago since 1989 and established an office in the country in 1994. Currently the company’s office is located at 5 St. Clair Avenue, St. Clair, Port-of-Spain. Today, BG Trinidad and Tobago (BG TT) is one of the Group’s core operational areas and is virtually unique among the multinationals based here, in operating onshore and offshore assets in all key areas of the country. The UK-based BG Group is a global leader in the exploration, production, distribution and supply of natural gas to industrial markets. The Group has operations in over 25 countries, including the UK, Egypt, Kazakhstan and India. The Group’s key business is the connecting of high value markets to competitively priced gas, to which it deploys expertise at all stages of the gas chain. BG TT has upstream operations in three main areas – the offshore East Coast Marine Area (ECMA) and North Coast Marine Area (NCMA), as well as the onshore Central Block located in the Moruga forest. The BG Group-operated ECMA or Dolphin gas field, located 83 km off the east coast of Trinidad, commenced production in March 1996. The Dolphin field is contracted to supply gas to NGC under a 20 year supply contract. The ECMA also supplies Atlantic Train 3 and Atlantic Train 4. NCMA comprises three producing fields, Hibiscus, Chaconia and Ixora, which supply natural gas for Atlantic LNG Trains 2, 3 and 4. A 107 km, 24-inch pipeline from the NCMA development to Point Fortin is the longest pipeline in Trinidad Tobago. A fourth producing field, Poinsettia, is scheduled for development in 2008. BG TT acquired Aventura’s 65% interest in, and operatorship of, the onshore Central Block in 2004. Central Block is conveniently located near the Cross Island Pipeline in Moruga, which makes it an attractive proposition for the supply of natural gas to Atlantic LNG. On acquiring the Block, they also took on an existing domestic gas supply agreement with the Petroleum Company of Trinidad Tobago Limited (Petrotrin). The transportation of this natural gas to the NGC network constitutes BG TT’s first sales of liquids in the country. 1. Problem Description: This project will provide guidelines for implementing an asset tracking solution at BG TT’s IM (Information Management) department. The system is needed to assist the Helpdesk Administrator to keep track of a large variety of physical computer equipment as they are bought, stored and assigned to the company’s employees. Currently there is a manual system that entails the use of a notebook to record and track the assignment of computer and computer related equipment. Inventory levels are checked periodically and recorded using the manual paper system. The most common method for tracking assets is to record transactions as they happen. As a result inventories are time consuming and almost impossible to maintain accuracy since assets move around on a daily basis. Also the data collected during any inventory is outdated before the finished reports are published. An asset tracking system needs to be able to produce reports that will help the organization make intelligent business decisions. The department wanted to streamline its equipment checkout process. The objective is to computerize the current manual process in order to make the equipment checkout processes fast and accurate. The computerization of this process will simplify paperwork and provide electronic storage of data. Because of the amount of equipment to be checked out every day and the number of members involved, the workload for staff members in the department increases every year. The operating cost includes the maintenance cost of the equipment and their inventory. Some of the problems faced by the staff members are listed below: †¢ Each piece of equipment is individually marked for identification purposes; however, there isn’t a method to allow a user to backtrack or check into certain equipment in terms of its usability and for maintenance purposes. This often leaves the user with an uncertainty on how good the equipment is in a given. Lack of information on the status and maintenance of equipment leads to bad quality of equipment because of unperformed maintenance. This, in turn, may cause customer dissatisfaction when poorly conditioned equipment is being given out. †¢ Manually completing forms creates another issue due to hand-writing. That is, more than one person will be handling the forms and each person has a different style of hand-writing. This leads to misunderstanding of the information on the forms, especially when maintenance requests are entered by one staff member and not understood properly by another staff member. †¢ Forms could be easily misplaced, thus resulting in missing documents. Human errors on checking forms for completeness could result in incomplete form. †¢ The equipment check-in and checkout processes are difficult and involves extensive labor to get the work done right. Currently, a staff member is required to manually check each equipment that is being checked out for the day and make sure things are getting checked in correctly. On top of that, the staff member is required to tally up all equipment before closing of the business on that day to make certain that all equipment are in place; otherwise, they may have equipment shortages and may have to reorder. 2. Proposed Solution: The aim of this project is to develop the inventory system that can be applied in the current IM Department. The objectives are: †¢ to identify the problems involved in the implementation of the current inventory system; †¢ to identify the needs of a systematic inventory system; †¢ To develop the prototype of the inventory system that can be implemented. The eventual inventory system will be a DBMS that will control the organization, storage, management, and retrieval of data in a database. The DBMS will accept requests for data from the application program and instructs the operating system to transfer the appropriate data. When a DBMS is used, information systems can be changed much more easily as the organizations information requirements change. New categories of data can be added to the database without disruption to the existing system. The proposed DMS will have the following basic features: †¢ Provides a way to structure data as records, tables, or objects †¢ Accepts data input from operators and stores that data for later retrieval †¢ Provides query languages for searching, sorting, reporting, and other decision support activities that help users correlate and make sense of collected data A Database Management System (DBMS) is a software system that enables users to define, create, and maintain the database and provide controlled access to this database. The DBMS is the software that interacts with the users’ application programs and the database. Typically, a DBMS provides the following facilities: †¢ It allows users to insert, update, delete and retrieve data from the database usually through a Data Manipulation Language (DML). Having a central repository for all data and descriptions allows the DML to provide general enquiry facility to this data, called a query language. The provision of a query language alleviates the problems with file-based systems where the user has to work with a fixed set of queries or there is a proliferation programs, giving major software management problems. †¢ It provides controlled access to the database. For example, it may provide: ? An integrity system, which maintains the consistency of stored data; ? A user-accessible catalog, which contains description of the data in the database. The proposed solution takes care of the CRUD features of the database software namely the following: a. Create the storage structures – It implies that the storage structures can be created and modified for the change in the database or the information system.

Stability Analysis of DC Distribution System

Stability Analysis of DC Distribution System Stability Analysis of DC Distribution System with Constant Multiple Power Loads Ethics Declaration Checklist (to be completed by student) Does this project involve the use of: YES/NO Human participants, NO Previously collected confidential data, NO Animals for scientific purposes? NO If YES to any of the above, then the proposal will not be approved and you will not be allowed to proceed with this project. By submitting this report through the unit website for assessment, you certify that the information provided above is true and correct. Abstract In recent times dc distribution system is become a very complex which consist different types of multiple power converters. But system is suffered from stability related problem which arise due to negative incremental impedance of constant power loads. There are several methods for stability analysis of dc distribution system such as Middelbrook criterion, phase and gain margin criterion, energy source consortium criterion and the Passivity- Based stability criterion (PBSC). Furthermore, one another technique which name is Positive Feed-Forward control which is used with PBSC to improve the stability and to solve the system interaction problem. The main aim of the project is to run whole system into simulation mode in MATLAB and try to make the system stable. Introduction Now day dc distribution systems are mostly based on the power electronics Which used power converter and semiconductor devices. As a result stability and dynamic performance developed due to converter interconnection system. As we mentioned above there are most of criterion can be used only for single bus system. However, the power electronics based system consist multiple converter and multibus system so for this complex scenario the most reliable and accurate technique is the Passive Based Stability Critrion (PBSC). In this technique, stability of the any system may be derived by evaluating the system bus impedance. (Siegers, Arrua and Santi, 2017) Furthermore, in PBSC technique the system may be stable if the bus impedance of the system is analysed as a passive therefore this system also need to couple with positive feed-forward technique which is used to design stabilizing controllers that force the system bus passivity by damping impedances. The main concept of dynamic performance is based on impedance region of the system so suitable damping impedance can be developed or calculated in the system using the PFF control. Fig1.0 multi-bus system with power converters Motivation In recent time, to work with dc distribution system becomes very easier because of developed semiconductor technology and power electronics converters. In power system network generally stability of any system is very import if it is dc or ac distribution. Power quality is generally related to voltage quality of the system. At this stage, the main tendency is to change ac distribution system with high level dc distribution system. There are several technique are available for stability analysis of dc distribution system but the impedance based stability criterion such as PBSC is widely used. When any system is connected with the constant power load then it may be suffer from instability because it causes to increase the current. As a result it will definitely decrease the voltage. (Hodge Flower, 2009). In addition, PBSC is recently developed stability analysis technique which is exhibit better stability margins and establishes certain performance. Furthermore, this technique is power electronics based so it may consist of multiple power converters. There is one basic architecture model is given in fig 1.0. This technique is now applied to several networks such as automotive power system, telecommunication system, electric- ship and electric- aircraft, as well as electric and hybrid- electric vehicles. (Siegers, 2017). Moreover, firstly PBSC technique could be apply only to single bus system which consist of source and load converter. But after dynamic closed loop response of the converters is establish using standard resistively intermediate converter which is used to limit the analysis of single bus system. In general, the multi-bus power converter system has n numbers of buses and also has large number of switching converters, sources and loads. Multi-bus system is evaluated to an equivalent network (n-Port) to each bus. Mostly, passive based stability criterion is developed in frequency domain. Objectives The main objective of this project is how DC distribution system should be become stable during constant power load using PBSC technique. PBSC is one of the different techniques which can be used for both single and multiple bus system so it will be helpful to understand the switching system of converter. Need to analysis of criteria for the stability of dc distribution system. To create the circuit of dc distribution using switching converter for different block system such as open loop, feed forward input control. Create the matrix diagram and its calculation of transfer function. To run whole DC distribution model in simulation mode in MATLAB. To compare and analysis of the actual calculation and simulation result for stability. Significance The main significance of this method is that system may be stable if the network is passive. PSBC is mostly used for multi-bus system so it has n number of load converter and m number of source converter. Therefore, mainly two criteria for system stable which related to total equivalent impedance. Z(bus) has no poles on right half plane(RHP) Re{Z(bus(jw) >=0} or Z(jw) has a contour of Nyquist which is lies totally in the RHP. The main goal of the technique is to make system stable. So, positive feed- forward control (PFF) is using damping impedance in parallel with the existing impedance. The main reason of using damping impedance is to stabilize the DC bus voltage by changing the bus impedance in the frequency domain. Furthermore, there are mainly three types of parallel damping cases such as Capacitor parallel damping, R-C parallel damping and L-R-C parallel damping. Proposed Approach The project work can be divided into a number of tasks that lead to complete work sequentially and successfully for achieving the main objective. There are mainly four task that need to be done such as research or understand the DC system, Principle of PBSC technique and how it is different from the other stability technique, matrix analysis and mathematical approach and finally to establish dc distribution model in simulation mode in MATLAB. In the first task, it is necessary to understand the basic principle of dc system such as how dc system works and why dc system becomes unstable in certain condition. Furthermore, PBSC is the main part of this project so it is necessary to understand other stable system first then how PBSC can be different technique than other for example; these only one system which can be used for multi-bus system. In addition, the main role is that it works with switching converter because dc system can work only in resistive part but due to switching approach in time domain analysis it can work with inductive and capacitive part. The third part is to establish mathematical model or calculation of any system by using matrix formation. It will give the actual value of impedance for stability of system because whole method is depends on impedance of the system. Finally, the last part of this project is very important. It is necessary to understand the MATLAB software and then apply simulation mode for DC grid system. Timeline One grant chart is given in the appendix which shows the whole timeline of the project. In the first semester, project is divided into 13 weeks excluding holidays and exams. The description and time is also given in the grant chart. Furthermore, for semester 2 dates and description is not fixed but given approximate nearly. During the project, it may come some error and difficulties then some changes will occur. Each task is given sequentially and it may help to complete the whole task in given period. Risk Assessment There is another attachment is given in appendix which shows the risk of the project. In general, the risk of the project is very low because mostly work in simulation mode not in the real world. There are several factors which can be affecting on the project such as supervisor, health, personal, software, equipment and computer. All factors are defined by code which is given below. SUP- Supervisor Per- Personal HLTH- health EQU- equipment CMP- computer SFT- software As mentioned above the overall risk of this project is low. Some risk factors are near to zero such as supervisor, personal. The health risk also low but sometimes it is dangerous for eyes due to sitting in front of computer but it can be overcome wearing the glasses. Instrument risk sometimes high because of awareness of using but it can solve by taking care properly. Computer data risk is very low and it can be overcome by back up data in USB. Software risk can be moderate. Progress to Date The current level of the project work is at initial stage. Firstly I try to understand the how DC system is different than AC system. Furthermore, Try to find research paper related to the project work. Research is started on PBSC (Passive based stability criterion) technique and its main principal of this technique. Try to understand that why PBSC is used for stability analysis rather than another method. I am trying to understand matrix equation of stability criterion. In addition, in the last session I understand how DC system works with capacitor and inductor. Also I get broad knowledge about using capacitor in parallel with any circuit. In further session we will learn whole system and after we will learn the MATLAB software for future simulation. Conclusion After completing all task of this report, the stability of dc distribution system is quit complex but it is very useful for high voltage distribution system. It is very reliable and easier than AC system. The PBSC technique is also better than other technique because multi- bus system stability developed. Also PBSC is also analysis the passivity for individual bus system within MVDC system present. This technique is also validated or applies for both simulation and experimental model of four converter system. Also PBSC can reduce design and sensitivity to component. There are some benefits of this system such as reduce power dissipation, large currents, weight and cost. References [1] Barkley, A., Santi, E. (2009). Improved online identification of a DC-DC converter and its control loop gain using cross-correlation methods. IEEE Transactions on power electronics, 24(8), 2021-2031. [2] Barkley, A., Dougal, R., Santi, E. (2011, March). Adaptive control of power converters using Digital Network Analyzer Techniques. In Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC), 2011 Twenty-Sixth Annual IEEE (pp. 1824-1832). IEEE. [3] Bottrell, N., Prodanovic, M., Green, T. C. (2013). Dynamic stability of a microgrid with an active load. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 28(11), 5107-5119. [4] Cho, H. Y., Santi, E. (2008, November). Modeling and stability analysis in multi-converter systems including positive feedforward control. In Industrial Electronics, 2008. IECON 2008. 34th Annual Conference of IEEE (pp. 839-844). IEEE. [5] Cvetkovic, I., Boroyevich, D., Mattavelli, P., Lee, F. C., Dong, D. (2013). Unterminated small-signal behavioral model of DC-DC converters. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 28(4), 1870-1879. [6] Lin, R. L., Yeh, P. Y., Liu, C. H. (2012). Positive feed-forward control scheme for distributed power conversion system with multiple voltage sources. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 27(7), 3186-3194. [7] Lin, R. L., Liu, W. S., Chen, J. F., Chen, M. H., Liu, C. H. (2013). Positive feedforward control for multimodule output-series power-conversion systems with individual nonideal sources. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 60(4), 1323-1334. [8] Riccobono, A. (2013). Stabilizing Controller Design for a DC Power Distribution System using a Passivity-Based Stability Criterion. [9] Riccobono, A., Santi, E. (2013). Positive feedforward control of three-phase voltage source inverter for DC input bus stabilization with experimental validation. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 49(1), 168-177. [10] Riccobono, A., Santi, E. (2012, February). A novel passivity-based stability criterion (PBSC) for switching converter DC distribution systems. In Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC), 2012 Twenty-Seventh Annual IEEE (pp. 2560-2567). IEEE. [11] Rivetta, C., Williamson, G. A., Emadi, A. (2005, July). Constant power loads and negative impedance instability in sea and undersea vehicles: statement of the problem and comprehensive large-signal solution. In Electric Ship Technologies Symposium, 2005 IEEE (pp. 313-320). IEEE. [12] Siegers, J., Arrua, S., Santi, E. (2017). Stabilizing Controller Design for Multibus MVdc Distribution Systems Using a Passivity-Based Stability Criterion and Positive Feedforward Control. IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics, 5(1), 14-27. [13] Sudhoff, S. D., Crider, J. M. (2011, April). Advancements in generalized immittance based stability analysis of DC power electronics based distribution systems. In Electric Ship Technologies Symposium (ESTS), 2011 IEEE (pp. 207-212). IEEE. [14] Sun, J. (2011). Impedance-based stability criterion for grid-connected inverters. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 26(11), 3075-3078. [15] Zadeh, M. K., Gavagsaz-Ghoachani, R., Martin, J., Pierfederici, S., Nahid-Mobarakeh, B., Molinas, M. (2014). A new discrete-time modelling of PWM converters for stability analysis of DC microgrid. Proc Electrimacs14, 1-6. [16] Zadeh, M. K., Gavagsaz-Ghoachani, R., Martin, J. P., Pierfederici, S., Nahid-Mobarakeh, B., Molinas, M. (2015, March). Discrete-time modelling, stability analysis, and active stabilization of dc distribution systems with constant power loads. In Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC), 2015 IEEE (pp. 323-329). IEEE. [17] Zenger, K., Altowati, A., Suntio, T. (2006, November). Stability and performance analysis of regulated converter systems. In IEEE Industrial Electronics, IECON 2006-32nd Annual Conference on (pp. 1975-1980). IEEE. Attachment 1 Timeline Chart Attachment 2 Risk Assessment Matrix Risk Reference Risks Consequences CurrentRisk Treatments Current Level of Risk AdditionalRisk Treatments Residual Level of Risk Likelihood Consequence Risk Level Ranking Likelihood Consequence Risk Level Ranking SUP Not available on campus Not get enough information Contact through mail 0 0 0 L Not required 0 0 0 L HLTH-1 Health problem Delay in project Precaution needed 0 1 1 L Not required 0 0 0 L HLTH-2 Eye related problem Eye burning Very less chance 1 1 2 L Wear glasses 1 2 2 L PER-1 Family issues Not concentre on work Work management 2 2 3 M Progress work 1 2 2 M PER-2 sickness Reduce work efficiency Take rest 0 1 1 M Take medicines 0 1 2 M EQP-1 Laptop not working Lost data Backup or save file 2 2 3 L Online store cloud 0 0 1 L CMP-1 Cable not working Not charging properly Protect the cable 1 1 1 L Extra cable 0 0 1 L CMP-2 Tough screen problem Not getting data Use keyboard 0 0 1 L Not required 0 0 0 L SFT-1 Software not available Work delay Try another software 0 1 2 L Not required 0 0 0 L Activity Overall Risk Rating 0.00 LOw

Shocking the Sensibilities in A Modest Proposal Essay -- Swift Modest

Shocking the Sensibilities in A Modest Proposal Two Works Cited Three years after Gulliver's Travels was published, Jonathan Swift wrote "A Modest Proposal," a work grounded in thoughtful satire. Swift describes the destitution that characterized the life of Ireland's poor in the 18th century then renders a brazenly inhumane solution to their problems. He shocks the sensibilities of the readers then leads them to consider the inhumanity of the destitution in the first place. Although he was born in Ireland, Swift considered himself an Englishman first, and the English were his intended audience. Swift used the good reputation afforded him by previous works to expose an otherwise indifferent English public to the circumstances of Irish misery. Unfortunately, many of the English were so predisposed to hatred of the Irish that they would disregard the point of Swift's essay and might go so far as to endorse Swift's proposal. For the people of Ireland, "A Modest Proposal" built upon Swift's earlier Drapier's Letters and made Swift a national hero (Bookshelf). "A Modest Proposal" begins with a description of the state of 18th century Irish life. Ireland was a place where children too often became beggars or thieves to sustain themselves or their families, women had abortions because they could not afford to raise children, few jobs were available to the workforce, and landlords abused poor tenants. As miserable as the picture Swift painted of Irish life was, the brushstrokes of history were even harsher. Actions of the English in the previous century had thrust the Irish people into a state of diaspora; tens of thousands had been ... ...al footnote, not something that pertains to the present. Yet we need only look to poor children huddled on the streets of Brazil, or hear accounts of people who have resorted to using human flesh as sustenance to endure the North Korean famine, to realize that the misery of the world's poor has yet to be tempered by the progress of a modern age. "A Modest Proposal" could have been written yesterday; it might well be written tomorrow. Works Cited Swift, Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal: For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland from Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Public." 1729. Rpt. in Current Issues and Enduring Questions. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston, MA: St. Martin's 1996. 111-117. "Johathan Swift." Bookshelf 1996-1997 Edition 1996. CD-ROM. Redmond, WA: Microsoft, 1996.

Problematic Marriage in Much Ado About Nothing Essay example -- Much A

Questioning Marriage in Much Ado About Nothing       Much Ado About Nothing raises many important issues concerning the institution of marriage. Perhaps Shakespeare's purpose in writing this play was to question the existing approach to relationships and marriage. Shakespeare reveals the faults of the process through the characters of Hero and Claudio and also Hero's father, Leonato. Shakespeare also may be suggesting an alternative approach to marriage and relationships through the characters of Beatrice and Benedick.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Shakespeare does this through the characters of Hero and Claudio. Claudio suddenly becomes very enamored with Hero when returning from the war. Rather we should say that he has become quite enamored with her money. And hints it very obviously to other characters in the book by saying things like, "Hath Leonato any son, my lord?"(1.1.262).   Who, although these characters know he wants her for her money, which is seen by Benedick saying, "would you buy her that you enquire after/her?"(1.1.159-60) and Pedro saying, "That she is worthy, I know"(1.1.204) do nothing to stop the upcoming union. In fact, they encourage it because at this time, it is not at all unusual for a man to marry a woman for her money. In fact, it was quite commonly practiced.   Shakespeare uses lines such as these to bring attention to the requirements a gentleman has when looking for a wife. He throws these kind of lines in to make the audience aware either subconsciously or consciously so that maybe they will question whether or not two people should be married on the basis of how much the bride is worth. Pedro woos Hero for Claudio and it would seem that she would have one as just as well as the... ...marvelous job of trying to open the audience's eyes to the faults in the institution of marriage. He has done it a way that the audience cannot leave the play with consciously or subconsciously questioning the things with which they were just presented. Perhaps Shakespeare hoped these questions would lead to further contemplation on the issues of marriage and it's current conventions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited and Consulted:    Lewalski, B. K. "Love, Appearance and Reality: Much Ado About Something" Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 8 (1968): 235-251.    Rossiter, A.P. "Much Ado About Nothing."   William Shakespeare Comedies & Romances. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.    Shakespeare, William;   Much Ado About Nothing;   Washington Square Press;   New York, NY;   New Folger Edition May 1995

Art & History Essay

Confucianism and Daoism were the dominant moral, religious and political doctrines in China for many centuries. As in the case with Catholicism and Orthodox Church, which significantly influenced the development of arts, Confucianism and Daoism formed many of Chinese artistic currents. Confucianism and Daoism influenced Chinese art in various ways. First of all, their impact on visual arts refers to the usage of moral and philosophical themes in Chinese paintings. The Confucian moral themes, which were often included into such paintings, include the relations between members of family (respect for wife and parents etc. ), obedience to authorities. This is particularly true of the paintings by Gu Kaizhi, such as Admonitions of the Instructress to the Palace Ladies and Wise and Benevolent Women, which portray different social situations and proper ways of social behavior. The latter is a primary trait of Confucian moral philosophy. Taoist moral and philosophical insights are evident in the paintings of Huang Gongwang, who was a Taoist priest. For instance, his painting named Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains created in 1350 uses traditional Taoist art form of landscape painting, which best transmits the spiritual character of Taoism and its preoccupation with harmony of people and nature. Using black ink, Huang Gongwang tried to portray the presence of Tao spirit in everything and its power represented in mountains. Moreover, it should be noted that Huang Gongwang, following Taoist and partially Confucian tradition, does not limit himself to painting of bare mountains, but portrays ‘dwelling’ as the symbolic Taoist practice of cognition and ethical behavior (Cooper and Cooper 87-90). Confucianism had strong influence not only on Chinese fine arts, but architecture as well. For instance, famous Forbidden City is a perfect realization of Confucian principles of hierarchy in society and family. Forbidden City is a 720000 square meters imperial court complex with nearly 10000 rooms. The Emperor’s private and official area was situated at the front of the City and the large halls for ceremonial and official purposes were constructed on the high platforms, which stretched from south to north. The whole official construction, hence, was located in the center of Forbidden City, manifesting the respect for and magnificence of imperial power (Ho 43-46). The rest of the buildings, including emperor’s wives houses, were located outside of the central axis. 2. Tea ceremony (cha no yu), which was important cultural phenomenon in Japan since its inception, significantly influenced the development of Japanese visual arts through the wabi-sabi aesthetics, which is characterized by simplicity of forms, asymmetry and naturalism. The development of visual arts was particularly influenced by Takeno Joo, who elaborated the doctrine of ichi-go ichi-e, which pays attention to the unique nature of every tea meeting and every thing in general. This concept was essentially based on the notions of harmony and purity. Wabi-Sabi aesthetics is particularly evident in the interior of Taian teahouse in Myokian Temple near Kyoto, created by famous master Sen no Rikyu during Momoyama period (1573-1615). One of the basic points of Sen no Rikyu philosophy, which also was essentially influenced by Zen-Buddhism, was the perception of ordinary objects’ spiritual value and simplicity of beauty. Taian teahouse is very small (only 1. 8 meters) with tatami mats, where host and guests sat. Closed and narrow space was designed to make the process of tea ceremony more concentrated and intense in order to maintain its solemn and spiritual character. The interior’s space is fixed with a small door, called nijiri-guchi, designed to make the tearoom look bigger. The tearoom also has a niche called Tokonama with a hanging scroll with minor and simple decorations, making emphasis on purity and austerity of a tea ceremony (Pitelka 165). The traditional tea ceremony tools such as teabowls, flower containers, lid rests were also modernized by Sen no Rikyu, who designed them in correspondence with the demands of wabi-sabi aesthetics. Another notable example of tea ceremony’s influence on Japanese arts is Katsura Imperial Villa, built during 1624 and 1645 years, and considered to be an extraordinary combination of imperial court style and wabi-sabi canons. Stroll gardens, which were designed in the Villa, represent clear destination of the path, were accurately graveled, embellished by stones and bridges and garden buildings located along the paths. It is noteworthy that water was always to a viewer’s right, which created an effect of division between different spheres of nature and postulated their divine and unique character. Gardens of the Villa represented the idealized vision of natural lakes and rocks, trees and even various buildings and teahouses were developed in a way emphasizing nature’s power and simplicity. 3. The duality as opposed to monism or syncretism was among the basic characteristics of religious worldviews of many civilizations, including Aztec civilization. First of all, the concept of duality was applied to different spheres of universe – the earthly life was contrasted with heavenly life, the power of emperor was contrasted with the power of gods etc. There is no denying the importance of the fact, that the theme of duality played important role in Aztec architecture and Aztec Great Temple (Temple Mayor) is a vivid example of this. Built during Postclassical period of Mesoamerica (the construction began in the beginning of 14-th century) in Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, it represents some basic themes, peculiar to dualism. First of all, the theme of duality is represented in Temple’s conceptual purposes. It was dedicated to two Aztec gods – Tlaloc, a god of rain and farming, and Huitzilolochtli, a god of war. To realize this twofold dedication, two separate shrines for each of the gods were constructed at the top of the temple and separate staircases were designed. The temple is constructed in the traditional form of Aztec pyramid. As Kowalski notes, â€Å"From the Templo Mayor the four quarters of the universe and the cardinal points were partitioned. In its architectural form was expressed the concept of duality, and the mass of its basal platform subdivided into terraces incorporated the concept of different levels of ascent† (Kowalski 210). Apart from two-sided architectural structure of the Temple, it should be noted that it contained symbolical representation of duality between life and death. It was associated with the transition point for those who died naturally from earthly to the underground world called Mictlan. Hence, the Great Temple was a point, where cosmic levels united and provided access to the underworld. To sum it up, the themes of duality were realized in the Great Temple both in architectural and symbolic levels of Aztec culture. 4. Gender relations in Oceania societies found their full realization in the products of Oceania people’s culture. The majority of Oceania societies, including Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia tribes still have patriarchal societies and matriarchy is rare. Gender relations are symbolically embedded in various products of Oceania arts, which in their turn have strong functional connection with Oceania religious, spiritual and social rituals. For instance, Melanesian masks, which are one of the most complex forms of Melanesian art, play important ritual and gender role. As far as their design in concerned, these masks have much in common. The majority of them are covered with the bark cloth, which forms a certain background for painted symbols. The structure of masks is strengthened by coconut fronds or light woods. The masks are usually worn with various leaves, which are to conceal the nudity of the mask’s wearer. Those, who wear masks (called in Lakalai tribe valuku or tubuan) often engage in various performances of ritual and spiritual character. Masks play gender function as well, because only men in Melanesian societies are allowed to wear masks. Moreover, not every man is consecrated into the masks’ art, but only those that possess the biggest privileges and social power, that is tribe elders and initiated. Women and children play the role of spectators and victims in tribal mask performances. One of such rites include mapakuo (‘the head’) chasing women and children around Melanesian village and those whom he catches may be unlucky to be beaten with palm branches, sticks or punished in other ways. This rite, as we see, represents both gender and social power of men over their inferiors (Valentine 29-31). The spiritual role of masks in Melanesian societies is also very important. As Valentine notes, ‘Lakalai masking is a prime ceremonial expression of the traditional magico-religious system. It is intimately associated not only with sacred traditions of the past but also with present-day contacts between men and the spirit world’ (Valentine 48). The mystic element of mask art is also evident, because it keeps men’s identity in secrete and provides them with possibility to transform it in coherence with the laws of dramatic performance or ritual. It should be mentioned that Melanesian masks have strong ties with traditional crafts and Lakalai graphic arts. Another element of Oceania arts, which reveals gender roles and statuses, is the art of fetish objects, which exclusively belong to men and are designed to represent their masculine strength and control over women. Usually they are phallic symbols, which are presented in the form of trumpets, flutes or bullroarers. Bullroarers play crucial frightening role, which helps control the inferior members of community. As Gregor and Tuzin note with this respect, ‘They produce sounds, usually in deep registers, that are inherently dramatic and haunting. In being heard but not seen, these objects are perhaps ideal for conveying mystery and instilling fear in the naive listener’ (Gregor and Tuzin 317). These artistic and ritual symbols, hence, represent men’s power and hegemony and this is also proved by the fact that the ‘the most brutal punishments of all, rape and death, are meted out to women who see the flutes and bullroarers, and why the men often equate the act of women seeing the flutes with chaos and the destruction of society† (Gregor and Tuzin 318). 5. African art was for a long time interwoven with religion, which resulted in direct impact of ritual forms and traditions on African works of art. African art reflects religious content, and hence, may be conceptualized as ritualistic art. In its turn it results in specific type of relation between ritual, art and its objects. Ritual or mythological symbols may be embedded in art to amplify their divine meaning and vice versa – art meaning may be used to increase the appeal of rituals. For instance, Yoruba people (of West Africa) have their distinct art techniques of human body representation in sculptures and other variants of plastic art, which are deeply tied with their rituals and mythology. The majority of Yoruba’s sculptures of human body have disproportionate size of torso and head: Yoruba masters make sculptures’ head bigger, than normal human heads. It is explained by the fact, that Ori (‘head’) is the symbol of inner head, which unites Yoruba with a deity. Yoruba culture, therefore, considers head to be the most important part of human body (Lawal 499). For instance, female twin figure (ere ibeji), created in the first half of the 20-th century is totally disproportionate from traditional point of view. The head is significantly bigger than the other parts of the body, while the latter deviate from natural proportions. This is not the lack of art techniques, but conscious design to meet the demands of ritual procedures, which should follow the main canons of Yoruba religion. Another interesting cohesion between art and ritual in Yoruba culture is decoration of worship sites and sanctuaries of goddesses and gods. Various emblems, doors ornaments and sculptures form such ritual complex in Osun groove. Osun, which is the goddess of the River Osun, has her own symbols, including various pots (oru), beads and brass (ide). This cultural and ritual site is located in the forest, which traditionally was regarded as the home of spirits. Another example of African ritual art includes Jomooni (men) and Jonyeleni (women) figures, produced by Bamana culture of Mali. The figures bear both ritual and decorative function. The decorative function is represented by jewelry and the ritual one by their usage during rituals of Jo society (Colleyn and Laurie 19). The rituals include initiations, following living in the bush during a week. The ritual includes dances and performances, ritual baths, during which the presents are given to initiates by spectators. Works Cited Colleyn, Jean-Paul, and Laurie Ann Farrell. â€Å"Bamana: The Art of Existence in Mali. † African Arts 34. 4 (2001): 16-27. Cooper, Rhonda and Cooper, Jeffrey. Masterpieces of Chinese Art. Todtri Productions, 1997. Gregor, Thomas A. , and Donald Tuzin, eds. Gender in Amazonia and Melanesia: An Exploration of the Comparative Method. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2001. Ho, Bronson. Splendors of China’s Forbidden City. London, Merrell Publishers, 2004. Kowalski, Jeff Karl, ed. Mesoamerican Architecture as a Cultural Symbol. New York, Oxford University Press, 1999. Lawal, Babatunde. â€Å"Aworan: Representing the Self and Its Metaphysical Other in Yoruba Art. † The Art Bulletin 83. 3 (2001): 498-516. Pitelka, Morgan, ed. Japanese Tea Culture: Art, History, and Practice. London, Routledge Curzon, 2003. Valentine, C. A. Masks and Men in a Melanesian Society: The Valuku or Tubuan of the Lakalai of New Britain. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas, 1961.